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Losing it ~ week one

Ever had a so-so first date?  Nice guy (or girl) with a nice personality.  It wasn't like you were having such a bad time that you prayed the kitchen would catch fire but...  you weren't exactly falling in love, either.  That's probably a good way to describe week one of my biggest loser challenge.  Let's start with the good parts....

I am 6 pounds lighter than when I started.  WOO HOO!!!  That alone is reason to move on to week two and I will but I have to admit changing my habits isn't as easy as I would like it to be.

Tough spots....

Working out...  Although I used to be a fairly good athlete, I'm out of shape and since I'm not a fan of failing, it's hard for me to take the fact that I can't just run a marathon out of the gate.  I have to be patient with myself and build up my stamina again.  That said, though, I do think I did well.  40-60 minutes of exercise every day.  It was strange.  You hear about people's energy levels increasing.  That was true.  There were several days where I'd play on the Wii fit at night to expel some energy but....  at the same time, I needed a nap on the couple of days where I pushed myself really hard.  I don't usually nap so that was new.  I'm hoping as this all becomes habit, that will change.  I don't have time for naps.  :)

Food...  Thankfully, technology has given me a boost there.  I'm using the Lose It app from my phone.  It tracks my calories, nutritional values & exercise.  I can set a goal and it will tell me how to get there.  It's helpful and a great guide but I don't think it's the most accurate thing on earth.  I think the calorie counts for food are good but I'm not sure the calories burned during exercise are very accurate.  Your heart rate determines calorie burn (I think it does anyway) so without a heart rate, it can only estimate what you've really burned.  My heart monitor/watch always tells me I've burned more than the app says I have.  I like my watch better.  Wink wink.  I'm getting ready to add healthy cooking to the mix.  I'll share some of my successful recipes with you.  

Family...  thankfully, NO complaints there.  My family is 100% supportive.  Andy is actually ahead of me in the weight loss game.  He's down 16 pounds so I've got some catching up to do but...  he's a lot closer to his goal weight than I am to mine.  He's only got 10 lbs. to go where I've got....  well....  more than that.  I'm lucky to have awesome cheerleaders here at home.  No one has complained once that I haven't bought potato chips.  I have gotten a "There's nothing to eat." whine but that's not really new.  The kids love having fresh fruit & veggies around so we're all on the right track there.

So....  My goal is to lose about 2 lbs. a week and week one was 3x better than I hoped.   I had lost almost 7.5 but....  this morning there was an extra pound and a half on the scale.  I expect those little ups & downs along the way.  It's disappointing.  As long as overall I'm moving in the right direction, I'm a happy girl! 

Any questions about what I'm eating or what I'm doing when I work out?  I'm happy to answer them.  Let's talk.  Maybe we'll keep each other motivated.